N

The annual Coffee County Veteran’s Association Memorial Day Ceremony looked a little different this year, moving indoors to the Manchester Arts Center from its traditional home on the Manchester town square.

The event was sponsored by the Coffee County Veterans Association which is comprised of American Legion Post 78, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10904 and Disabled American Veterans Chapter 90.

Chaplain Bob Brinkman provided the invocation during the ceremony, who was followed by the Presentation of Colors by the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard and the National Anthem by the Coffee County Community Singers.

Keynote speaker and Master of Ceremonies G. Lamar Wilkie said there seems to be some confusion in the world today about Memorial Day, and what it represents. While Veterans Day is set aside to honor the nation’s veterans and Armed Services Day is dedicated to those currently serving, Memorial Day is for those that never came or, or retuned but later died from injury or disease sustained during their military service.

“Today we reflect on those who are no longer with us,” Wilkie said. “There is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding about Memorial Day and whether it is inappropriate or disrespectful to have a picnic or go to the lake or enjoy a cookout- nothing could be further from the truth.”

Wilkie said Memorial Day is a day when a nation can set aside time to honor those that made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country, but the day was never intended to be an entire day of mourning.

“Flags are lowered to half-staff in the morning and smartly raised to full-staff at noon,” he said. “There is no reason we can’t enjoy Memorial Day as the end of a long-weekend or the beginning of the summer season as long as we are mindful of why the holiday exists.”

The ceremony was concluded with performance of taps and benediction by Brinkman.